At those speeds, Spike claims that its S-512 will clip 3 hours off the six to seven hour jaunt from New York to LA and slash the transit time from LA to Tokyo in half. Taken in total, a one-way trip from New York to Tokyo could be done in about 13 hours. However, given the jet’s 7,400 km (4,600 mile) range, I’d suggest a stop over in Hawaii lest you find yourself parked somewhere in the Pacific.

With initial designs only just unveiled; Spike Aerospace’s jet could still see much reconfiguration in the coming months and years. For now, the company is stating that its speedy jet will run customers $60-$80 million each; maybe a bit too pricey for individual use, but certainly in the realm of possibility for large, multi-national corporations.

Although its initial designs are impressive, Spike Aerospace still has a lot to prove before it convinces investors to support the firm. One of the S-512’s most puzzling mysteries is how it will deal with the requisite sonic boom that accompanies supersonic flight. With strict FAA regulation limiting how and where the phenomenon can occur, the S-512 might find itself entering a niche aerospace realm home only to the commercially unviable Concorde.

If Spike Aerospace can successfully navigate its regulatory and design hurdles the company expects its first supersonic private jet to hit the runway in December 2018.